It Ain’t Twilight but I’m Still in the Zone

If it hasn’t happened to you yet, I can only tell you that it will. Some day you’ll be standing at the craps table, tossing the dice and hitting numbers over and over, while time and the outside world seem to disappear. Congratulations. You have just entered the Zone.

Your ability to slip into the Zone and maintain that state allows you to harness your intelligence, creativity, and talent and subconsciously put them to work for you during high stress situations. Craps players who cannot get into the zone suffer from what I’ll call Sevens Anxiety. Their inability to access the zone limits their performance in the gaming arena. Their results, while occasionally good – generally fall short of great.

So how do you go beyond good to great? The key is to consider the Zone as separate from any activity – be it craps, competitive sports, or writing the great American novel. And we’ve all had a little “taste” of the Zone, even if we haven’t yet mastered it. My UFO enthusiast friends often talk about having “lost time” episodes that they associate with alien abduction events. I look at lost time events as Zone events. My friends immersed themselves so deep in thought on a subconscious level that everything else “disappeared” and they lost track of time. You may have had the same thing happen while driving in your car. Ever get lost in thought while driving, then snap out of it and you’re not sure exactly where you are? How about you runners? You get your headphones on and fall into the rhythm of the run. The rest of the world just fades away and the next thing you know you’re five miles down the trail. All of these experiences share something in common. They all deal with the temporary suspension of the subject/object relationship.

Say what? Here are a couple of examples. An artist finds himself lost in the shades of blue on his canvas. The writer’s characters take over and write the book for him. The martial artist gets lost in the rhythm of the kicks and punches he’s throwing. Suddenly you stop being self-aware, and begin to sense a connection between all of the seemingly unrelated parts of the activity we’re involved in. It’s as if we’re stepping outside our bodies and viewing things on the big screen of life. It’s like we’re actually becoming the dice . . . the felt . . . the back wall.

Okay, so much for getting into the zone subconsciously. How do you do it on demand? There are many different disciplines that have all or part of the keys. Meditation, prayer, Yoga, Tai Chi, music by Vivaldi, long distance running, spa treatments, and many more. Just look for moments in life where the world disappears and time ceases to exist.

One of the core techniques that will help you enter the Zone is deep breathing, or breath control. Sometimes I refer to it as “belly breathing.” If you’ve taken one of our classes you were probably instructed to Set the dice, Aim for your landing zone, Breathe, Relax, and Execute. The breathing part of the SABRE acronym is a three step process. Breathe in slowly and deeply, hold it for a second, then relax and blow out stress and tension. Learning to “belly breathe” reduces stress and helps you access your deepest resources, even when the penny slot machine behind you is making a 25,000 coin payoff.

Here’s a little deep breathing exercise you can use to work on this technique. Lie on your back, and then put a book (I like to use a dictionary) on your stomach. Inhale and watch the book rise. Exhale and watch it fall. Your chest should move very little, if any. You’re “belly breathing.”

Another technique I sometimes use is what I call “the Dr Pepper exercise.” Every day at 10AM – 2PM and 4PM take 90 seconds out of your day to focus on your breathing. Slow deep breath in – hole it – slowly exhale anger, stress, and negativity. You can do this anywhere – in the car, in meetings, or even walking across the parking lot. I also practice deep breathing first thing when I wake up in the mornings – and last thing before I go to bed in the evenings.

Does any of this help? Absolutely. Next time you find yourself in a moderately stressful situation, practice deep breathing and relaxing. Let’s say you have to give a speech at work, get stuck in traffic, or are in the middle of an argument. Stop for a second, take a deep breath, and relax. Doing so will change your body’s signals to itself. The fight or flight reaction fades, and you’ll be able to slip back into the Zone.

Are there other paths into the zone? Of course. But breath control has worked for enlightened people throughout history – and that includes a few pretty good dice shooters. It can work for you as well.

Dice Control Seminar DVD

Heavy's Axis Power Craps Dice Control Seminar is now available on DVD!
This is the breakthrough video that sent the competition back to the drawing board. This was first professionally produced DVD demonstrating the mechanics of a controlled dice shot. Here are a few of our customer comments on the DVD:

Heavy doesn't just tell you what to do - he SHOWS you what to do."

"The other guys promised me gold - Heavy delivered."

"Heavy has thrown another winner!"

"Fixed my toss and made me a winner."

This DVD includes the portion of the seminar that deals specifically with the mechanics of the grip and toss, along with roughly twenty minutes of tossing and coaching live at the craps table. You'll see Heavy and his students setting and throwing the dice with the camera running real time to show the results.

Altogether you'll receive almost three hours of player education featuring the best dice sets, grips, tosses, and more. In addition, we cover betting strategies, money management, discipline, focus, the mental edge, and playing the comp game to win. You'll also receive the e-versions of the seminar workbook, manuals from our other seminars, handouts and strategy cards as an added bonus. Order now and we'll also include a copy of Heavy's"Crapshooter's Buffet" audio CD - recorded live at the Las Vegas Craps Festival in 2001.

Order the Axis Power Craps Seminar on DVD via PayPal below for just $189.00 plus shipping and handling. US customers add $6 shipping and handling - $195 total. Canadian customers add $16 shipping and handling - $205 total. Order on-line via PayPal below:
APC DVD
The Axis Power Craps Clinic on DVD - it's the next best thing to being there!

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Heavy’s Axis Power Craps E-Book

Buy Heavy's Axis Power Craps Manual!
Axis Power Craps details five skill sets almost anyone can learn. Master these and you too can become a precision craps shooter. Order now and find out how!

Axis Power Craps includes betting strategies for every dice pre-set arrangement. Precision dice shooting works for both right-way and wrong-way play. Your package features an instructional 100 page workbook with dozens of photographs of dice pre-sets and grips. Each book comes with two shirt-pocket precision dice shooting strategy cards, as well as practice forms you can duplicate and use to record your rolls.
Axis Power Craps is just $19.95 in e-book format. You will receive the book via e-mail within 24 hours of making payment. The dice setting strategy cards will be sent via 1st class mail, so be sure to include your mailing address. Order on-line through PayPal at this link:

If you prefer to pay by check or money order, send your remittance to:

Steve "Heavy" Haltom
P.O. Box 7094
Tyler, Texas 75711

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Heavy is Availble for Private Craps Lessons

Looking for private craps lessons to sharpen your skills? Heavy is available for private lessons in his Craps Pit in East Texas, live in Las Vegas, Biloxi or Tunica, or right at home in the comfort of YOUR craps pit. A private lesson makes a great birthday or anniversary present and his highly recommended if you’re ramping up for an upcoming trip to Vegas.

3 hour Friends, Spouses and Significant Others Private Lesson for Two on Basic to Intermediate Craps and Dice Control - $599

6 hour Friends, Spouses and Significant Others Private Lesson for Two on Basic to Intermediate Craps and Dice Control – includes lunch - $899

8 hour “Six Pack” Group Private Lesson on Basic to Intermediate Craps and Dice Control. Up to six players can take over Heavy’s craps pit for a full-blown Axis Power Craps private seminar, including Heavy’s TrendMaster Betting Class as an added bonus. Price includes lunch and libations. Designated driver required. $595 per person with a four person minimum.

Looking for private lessons in Vegas, Biloxi, or Tunica? All classes conducted in a casino dealer school on authentic casino craps tables. You and up to six of your friends can take over the school for the day for the full Axis Power Craps private seminar – including Heavy’s TrendMaster Betting Class as a special bonus! That’s 8 hours of group time with Heavy. Price includes dealer school rental and a pizza lunch delivered to the school. $795 per person with a four player minimum. Add a live casino session with Heavy for just $100 per person more with a four player minimum. A 60 day advanced reservation is required to insure availability of the dealer school.

If you have a private table in your home and would prefer to take a class on it - private lessons are available for you as well. Final cost will depend on your location and travel expenses incurred relative to the class. A private Axis Power Craps class, including Heavy’s TrendMaster Betting Strategy training for you and up to five of your friends will likely run around $695 per person with a four person minimum. Final price will be determined at time of registration.

Please note: Classes are available on weekends only and must be booked a minimum of 30 days in advance. 60 day advance registration required for Las Vegas, Tunica, and Biloxi. Need more details? E-mail Heavy direct at axispowercraps@gmail.com with the Subject line: Private Lessons for an immediate response.

Axis Power Craps Dice

Axis Power Craps Dice!
Looking to sharpen your practice skills with regulation casino dice? Look no further. Axis Power Craps is proud to offer these beautiful 3/4 inch flush-spot, razor edge, high polished dice.
Created from an exclusive cellulose acetate formula developed to insure clarity, hardness and stability, these dice are milled to 1/10,000th of an inch and certified perfectly balanced. They are the perfect dice to take your practice sessions to the next level.
Each five-die stick is serialized and stamped with the Axis Power Craps logo. Designed with precision dice shooter practice in mind, these dice are only sold in two-stick sets containing one stick of red dice and one stick of green dice. Both sticks have matching serial numbers. Your cost? $39.99 plus $3 shipping and handling - just $42.99 total.
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